SPE 2: To Fight for a Friend
by dustyismahomeboy
Summary: Tyler the Tug hears news about Josh being alive, and he desperately wants to find him, this time, North America. Pa, of course, doesn't want him to go. How far would you go for a best friend?
1. Chapter 1

It had been far too long since the last time Tyler had felt so much joy like he had a moment ago. Hearing from Conner that he may have spotted Josh was like coming home to a surprise party when it wasn't even anyone's birthday.

_"Now, kid, I dunno if this is actually the guy. He just looks like 'im." _

"Is he really small?" Tyler asked.

_"Yeah." _

"Does he have two stripes on his sides?"

_"Yeah."_

"Then it's him. Is he still there?"

_"Uh, yeah, but kid-"_

"Just, tell me where he is and I'll go find him! This is so exciting!"

_"Kid, I'm takin' a shipment to the US. I'm right here in New York docks."_

"To the, US?" Tyler felt his hull sink almost in the water.

_"Sorry, kid. This is a bit far for ya. I know you traveled a bit but, I dunno about this one. You got someone to come with?"_

"I have my mechanic.."

_"He's not gonna be enough. I'm not tryna sound like a parent but, you need to have someone else with you. In the water, not on board."_

Tyler paused. He hated this. Why did everyone tell him he wasn't good enough to go out into the ocean? He made it to Newfoundland before! He survived the huge storm! How was New York any different?

"I-I can try to bring my Pa with me, but, he.. I don't know.."

_"Well, whatever you choose, be safe about it kiddo. I gotta get myself going here though. He's still here, I saw 'im zoom by the docks. Take it easy."_

"Okay.. bye." Tyler sighed. This was going to be hard. He knew he shouldn't get his hopes up from Pa, but he _really _needed to do something. Anything. He needed to get Josh home. And Auntie Krista couldn't do it on her own. This gave him a thought. Maybe she could go with him!

"Pa, I've got good, and bad news. Well, sort of." Tyler said as he came up to his dad. He looked to him.

"Conner found out where Josh was! But he thinks he saw him by New York." Tyler wasn't sure how Pa would react to that, but he braced himself. Before Pa could even say anything, Tyler continued. "I had the idea, since it's so far, maybe Krista could come with me!"

"Absolutely not." He replied. "You know you aren't allowed in the ocean. You're lucky you survived the first time!"

"But, Pa, it won't be as dangerous if someone else is with on the water, that's what Conner said. Otherwise, I hoped you could come instead."

"Conner is a large cargo ship. He knows nothin' about the challenges of a small tug like you." Pa raised his voice now, which made Tyler almost back down. "Two boats on the sea is just double the chances of trouble. If one boat sinks, what is the other supposed to do? Nothin', but watch the other go down. A winch may keep him up, but only a short amount of time until you're pushed under too. That is a no, and it's final." He turned around to sail away when Tyler became upset. He rarely got upset. This was different. Josh needed help, and Pa wasn't doing a thing to help. Tugs were supposed to help others, in a way, (mostly big ships) and Pa wasn't. He began to think Pa didn't care about Josh.

"Maybe I'll just leave on my own then." Tyler muttered and Pa turned around almost instantly.

"If you leave this fjord, so help me Tyler-"

"Pa, I need to do this! Someone has to go help Josh and if no one does, he's as good as gone!"

"He's already as good as gone! If he hasn't found help by now it's over!"

This made Tyler's heart break. He felt himself sink into the water as Pa turned around and chugged away. Tyler didn't know what to do but float there, defeated. He tried not to think too much about his hurt heart as he went to Kenneth for maybe some reassurance.

"Hey, Ty! How's the traveler doin'?" Kenneth asked, seeing him float up.

"Apparently a small tugboat can't do anything on his own." Tyler muttered. He didn't succeed in hiding his sadness. Kenneth took on immediately.

"What happened? Pa givin' you a hard time for leaving?" Kenneth came near the edge of the dock to get closer.

"No, Conner thinks he spotted Josh by New York, and, Pa said I couldn't take Auntie Krista with me." He looked up at Kenneth and Kenneth knew Pa must've done much more to this tug than tell him that.

"Hey, Pa just, doesn't understand. He doesn't understand how strong you are. I seen it myself with my own two eyes!" Kenneth said. "Don't take it too hard, pal. Pa will learn that you can do much more than he thinks. Than anyone thinks."

"But, how am I going to find Josh if I can't do anything?" Tyler whined. He tried to keep his tears back. "If I can't go out to bring him back from New York, how is he gonna find his way on his own?"

"Maybe we'll have to hope that he is going to ask someone for help. Maybe a ship will be willing to help him back. Or we can try contacting someone there to help him. There's always a way."


	2. Chapter 2

That night, Tyler was out by the end of the fjord again. There's always a way. Tyler remembered what Kenneth said. There was always a way. He began to think through different possibilities. Perhaps a bigger boat could take him, like, a ferry for boats. No. Or he could go with a larger boat who lives in the fjord. To look after him. But, that boat would surely refuse. Everyone is nervous or afraid of Pa, especially doing something against his rules. He could take a few days to just, think it over. But he had to gain courage. Even more than he had his first trip. Courage, willingness, and strength. Lots and lots of it.

Or he could just go right now. While everyone was asleep. He could just, go. No one was watching. He looked behind him. Not a single boat was chugging in the darkened waters. He could just go, right now. Or wake up Kenneth to come with. A nightly escape. He looked down at the murky water below him. He could never see the bottom, but the darkness never helped either. He looked up at the moon. He wondered what it would be like, leaving the fjord, all by himself. No one on board, no one nearby. Just his hull in deep water. Not metaphorically, but literally. Nothing but water below him for a long way down. But then, it almost scared him, being by himself. What if his hull leaked right when he got too close? He looked ahead and was about to inch but quickly stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

"What 'cha doin', kiddo?" It was Pa.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Tyler quickly said and looked away. He didn't want to make eye contact. He was still hurt.

"Hey, uh, sorry for yellin' before." Pa said. Tyler didn't speak. It wasn't often Pa apologized, however. "Krista made me apologize, the ol' hag." This made Tyler smile a little though.

"Hey, Pa?" Tyler spoke, but very softly. Pa looked at him. "When do you think I'll be able to go out on my own? In, the ocean I mean."

Pa sighed. Tyler was ready for another scolding. _"You'll never be old enough, you're too weak, too small"..._

"Look, son, there's a reason I don't let you out there by yourself." Pa said, looking out at the water. "You're too young and small yeah, but, there's more danger to you than you'll believe, trust me. You're a strong little boat, but, you're too little."

"But, I was fine with Kenneth.."

"Yeah, lucky shot. I don't mean to be too controlling or ornery, but, you just gotta trust me. I'm just tryna keep you safe. come back now, it's far too late." He gave Tyler a small nudge and pivoted back around to the small town. Tyler thought long and hard about his words as he followed Pa back. He said he was a strong boat, and Tyler firmly believed that. Tyler was going to prove that.

* * *

"Kenneth, Kenneth!" Tyler whispered, floating over by the pittie's shop to sleep the night. "Ken!" He called into his radio.

"Wha-what? Tyler? What is it?" Kenneth responded in the radio, and a few seconds later, was outside.

"Pack your things tonight. Whatever tools or things you can fit onboard." Tyler whispered.

"Wha-?" Kenneth started by Tyler shushed him.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Tyler said. He was determined to show his dad what he could do. He was determined. He never gave up. Tomorrow morning. Before dusk, we are leaving for America. Pack up extra fuel, maps, whatever we need. Keep it discreet."

"You sure you know what you're doing, Ty?" Kenneth asked. "I'm not ready for another yelling from Pa. I'm still healing after the first one!"

"There's no way I can let this go longer! Either you come with me, or I will go on my own."

Kenneth looked at Tyler, long and hard. The tug wasn't showing any signs of changing his mind on what he just said.

"Fine, okay, okay I'll come. But bright and early. And we have to be quiet, okay? No ship can see us leave. I know Pa. He didn't come after us last time, but he surely will this time."

Tyler nodded. "Thank you! I'll only tell Krista about this."

"No, no! You can't tell _anyone_!" Kenneth said, moving back to him. "Pa knows how to get answers from Krista. She can't keep a secret. If Pa comes after you, tell him I told you. Do. Not. Tell. Anyone." Kenneth looked serious.

"Okay, I won't. Thank you so much!" Tyler grinned and Kenneth smiled, coming forwards and giving his small bow a hug.

"Now, go to sleep. Bright and early tomorrow, yeah?" Kenneth said. "And please, get sleep. You need all the energy your props can deliver." Tyler nodded and he turned away, leaving Kenneth to go back into his shop. He closed the doors so he could pack in piece, and got everything by the door for a quick escape tomorrow morning. He was anxious about it all, but he hated seeing Tyler upset.

* * *

Bright and early in the morning, Tyler was already by Kenneth's shop, and Kenneth was quickly but quietly loading everything onto Tyler and securing it so it wouldn't roll around.

"Now, don't make that much noise." Kenneth said as he closed the doors to the shop. "Go slow. If you go too fast, your engine will be too loud."

"Okay." Tyler nodded and began to coast towards the exit. Kenneth kept a lookout for any movement of any boat. Everyone was still asleep. Tyler kept going at a steady pace, however, his adrenaline was rising. He wanted to just book it, but had to be slow, steady, and quiet. They began to move around the edge of the rock wall of the fjord and Kenenth yelled that made Tyler speed off.

"Go go! Pa's comin! _Go!" _ Tyler took off like a bullet, his engines roaring and Kenneth held on. The familiar tugboat engine behind him got closer.

"Tyler! What are you doin'?" Pa yelled. "Get back here!"

Tyler didn't answer. He kept swerving side to side to get through the curves of the opening, and raced towards the entrance of the fjord. There it was, the vast ocean, once again, calling him to set sail.

"Tyler!" Pa was practically screaming, and Tyler had never heard this tone of his voice he was hearing right now, but his propellers didn't stop, so he kept going. A big ship however came right into the opening of the entrance and Tyler wasn't expecting it. He quickly swerved out of the way. He had forgotten that there was a shipment this morning! He felt so bad.

Pa was forced to stop before he hit the hull of the massive ship. He glared after Tyler, but couldn't do anything now. He had to push the big ship, alone, into the harbor. Tyler kept going however.

"Ty, Ty! Slow down! Don't go too fast, you'll run out of fuel faster!" Kenneth yelled as he was still hanging on tightly. All that racing around he did with Josh really did a number. Tyler began to slow and tried to catch his breath. "Did we do it?" He asked Kenneth, gasping for air.

"Yep. We sure did." Kenneth said, looking back towards the entrance of the fjord, now a ways away. The large ship's stern disappeared into the fjord.


	3. Chapter 3

"We, we did it, Kenneth!" Tyler cheered, bouncing his hull over a small wave. "America, here we come!"

"You got your maps workin'?" Kenneth asked.

"Yep, I have them already set for New York."

"Good." Kenneth then paused before heading up near Tyler's cabin. "Whew. I'm not ready for Pa's yellin'."

"Then don't think about it." Tyler said. "I know he's very cross with me right now."

"I'm surprised he doesn't give you a scolding through the radio." Kenneth chuckled.

"Me too. But I'm glad. We just need to hurry and make sure we locate land soon so we can rest up before heading back out. Iceland, Newfoundland probably, and then New York!"

"Don't get lost this time, huh? At least now we have a specific place we need to go to."

"I'll do my best to avoid any and all storms then."

"Good idea."

* * *

Days passed. Fuel jug by fuel jug was used up. They had one more jug to go before they were completely out.

"Hey, we are close, I'm sure we can make it!" Tyler said. "Keep your hopes up, Ken!"

"My hopes have been slowly diminishing." Kenneth spoke monotone. "Keep reassuring me."

"Want a joke?"

"Uh, sure."

Where does a tugboat go when he's sick?"

"I dunno, Ty."

"The Dock!"

Kenneth couldn't help but smile. Mostly because of how much it made Tyler himself laugh.

"Why did the little tugboat do what all the other big tugboats told him to do?"

Kenneth shrugged.

"It was because of pier pressure!"

"Hah, good one." Kenneth chuckled.

"Oh did you hear there was a really big paddle sale at the boat shop the other day?"

"No, I didn't hear about that. I could have picked myself up a few." Kenneth laughed.

"It was a really big oar deal!"

Kenneth paused. "Okay, that was bad."

"I've got many more puns."

"Please, don't."

"I gotta say though, its all-waves so much fun being out on the ocean with ya."

Kenneth groaned.

"Buoy, this view of the sky is really fin-tastic."

"Tyler, stop!" Kenneth laughed and escaped to his stern.

"I'm not gonna get tied down by your pier-pressure."

"Tyler!"

Tyler laughed. "Wow, I'm really seas-ing the day, aren't I?"

Kenneth gave a long exasperated sigh. "Okay, you are really funny. I'll admit, Tyler. But please no more."

"Okay, but traveling to New York will officially be my new lega-sea, I can feel it!"

"Hey, hey, shush!" Kenneth raced back to his bow and looked him in the eyes before turning around. "I see land! it's Iceland!"

"Whew, it's a boat time."

* * *

While Kenneth was refueling Tyler and refilling all of their empty fuel jugs, Tyler looked around at the familiar scenery. He remembered looking for Josh here, and if he was all the way over by America, boy, they were sure a long way away. No wonder they could never find him!

"Okay, so, from here to Newfoundland is a lot longer than Scotland to Iceland. So I say we stop again at the point of Greenland before we head to Newfoundland. But, if I were you, I'd stay close to the coast as much as you can. Less waves, less force, and more help in case we need it."

"Sounds good to me." Tyler smiled. He started his engines again after Kenneth loaded on the last fuel jug and he was off into the water once more.

After a while of travel, Kenneth gave Tyler a can of oil to keep him going and he had one himself.

"You ready for more puns?"

"No, no, no. I don't need a headache way out here. You say another pun, Tyler, I swear.." Kenneth started.

"Okay, okay." Tyler laughed. "I'll save them all for our celebration when we find Josh!"

"Good to me." Kenneth shrugged. "Make Josh listen to those bad puns."

A day passed and Tyler saw they were in the middle of the Labrador sea. "Hey, Kenneth. You think there are any dogs out here?"

"Dogs? What kind of question is that?"

"Well, we're finally in the Labrador sea!"

"Oh finally. That was a good joke there." Kenneth admitted. "How much longer now?" He looked up past Tyler's bow and over the waves ahead.

"Shouldn't be much longer, few more hours I think." Tyler responded.

"Good. Finally." Kenneth sighed and glanced up at the sky behind them. He took a double take. "No, no, don't you dare!" He whined.

"What? Oh, no.." Tyler gasped. He looked behind himself as well. The sky behind them was pitch black. "No! I can't be caught in another storm like last time! That was way scary!"

"Hey, just keep chugging, bud. It's behind us. Hopefully we'll outrun it. Just, try to make it to land before it gets too bad, but, don't listen to me as pier- pressure, okay?"

Tyler smiled a little at his reassurance, but his smile quickly faded. This storm looked scary, and lightning flashed across the sky constantly and brightly. He hoped it wasn't going to turn into a waterspout. _Or a tornadic waterspout._

He had heard about those once. Waterspouts never got close to the fjord, and he wasn't sure how to handle them. But when they did happen close by, he was sure to keep safe over by Kenneth's shop, with instruction from Pa.

"Kenneth, I don't like the clouds. Or the wind." Tyler said, trying to keep calm. His voice was holding back concern.

"I know, bud, I'm keeping my eye on it. You just focus on sailing, okay?" Kenneth replied. "I'll let you know if I see anything. Just focus on the sky ahead." He glanced forwards to make sure the sky ahead was indeed calming to look at before looking back behind them. He also didn't want to worry the poor tug. It had started to rain. Rain never bothered Tyler. He had ways for the water to flow off his deck. But the booms behind them frightened him. He didn't want to be caught in the storm like last time. Kenneth turned to refuel Tyler a little more just to ease his worry, and looked back out at the sky, but wished he hadn't.

* * *

"Go, Tyler go!" Kenneth screamed. "Sail!"

Tyler didn't even look back. He picked up pace and his engines roared. The window got louder and rougher, and Tyler was scared out of his mind. He didn't want to look back, but did anyways. A long thin tube was behind them. Water sprayed upwards and got sucked into the spout. It was a tornadic spout!

"It must have started somewhere on land, that means we're close somewhere!" Kenneth yelled over the splashing water.

"I don't want it to get near!" Tyler cried out. He tried to pick up speed over the heavy waves. Learning from last time, he kept his mouth shut so he didn't swallow the salt water.

"Just keep going! Check the map for land and head straight for it!" Kenneth called and backed up near his cabin for safety. It wasn't really safe, but at least he had Tyler's mast to hold onto if need be. _"Let's just hope this doesn't break again.." _Kenneth thought as he watched the funnel.

Tyler hit another large wave, and Kenneth scrambled to grab the extra fuel jugs to toss down Tyler's hatch. He wasn't about to lose any of their fuel.

"Tyler, turn! Get outta the way!" Kenneth shrieked and sheilded himself with his lifts. Tyler looked back just in time to see the funnel sneaking up behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

Tyler let out a yell and quickly turned, knocking into a wave that hit him back going against him. The wave completely soaked him, and the water spilled over his deck. Kenneth shut his eyes and quickly looked to make sure the mast was still intact. Tyler was full throttle, trying to keep out of the spouts path. He was freaking out.

"Hang on, Ty! Hang on!" Kenneth yelled over the wind.

"Pa, help me!" Tyler screamed over the waves. Kenneth heard his cry and quickly went to his bow to comfort him and get him through.

"Hey, keep, goin' Ty! You're gettin' away!" Kenneth said. Tyler was in tears and having a full blown meltdown. Panic attack more likely. "You got this!"

"I don't feel like I do!" He whined.

"You do! You do! Keep going!"

* * *

Sooner than later, the storm began to pass by. The spout had already disappeared and Tyler was beginning to slow down from his panicked speed run.

"Woah, okay, you got it. You got it." Kenneth soothed. "You got out, it's over."

Tyler was breathing heavy, and his tears were threatening to come back. "That was scary, Ken, I don't want to do that again, please."

"Hey, I'm with you." Kenneth said. "But you gotta take it easy, relax, okay? It's all over, you weren't hurt, we're still alive." He gave the small tug's cabin a hug best he could. "Now, we don't head back out until you're back to your cheery self, okay?

Tyler gave a shaky sigh and nodded. That had been more frightening than the last, and Tyler did not want to be caught out in another storm as long as he lived. He tried to keep back his tears as he took deep breaths and focused on the task ahead; find Josh. He wondered if Josh would be amazed that the little tug had made it that far, and almost got a little excited thinking about it. As soon as he caught his breath and his mind changed to the task, Tyler sailed back on track and headed off for the next spot.

Kenneth came up to his front. "How're you doin' Ty?" He asked.

"A little better. I need to show Josh how strong I am."

"You don't gotta push yourself that hard, Tyler. As long as you make it, he will know."

"That's true I guess. I'm just wonderin' why he hasn't gotten any help to get back home. I mean, Conner said that when he passed by, he didn't seem too concerned about much really."

"Well, I guess we'll just figure that out when we see him. He is just a kid." Kenneth said. "Wait, is that Newfoundland there?" He pointed a lift to a landmass out in the horizon.

"Yeah, according to my maps."

"Perfect. Head out there, we'll fill up, and then sail around the tip to get to the New York harbor."

"Kenneth, I'm so excited! We're so close! We sailed so far!"

"I know buddy, we'll soon be farther than we were last time. Just keep chugging and doing what you're doing. Pa will understand soon enough."

"You think so?"

"He has to. Other than that storm we've been doing very well. It's not like we can predict when storms will hit." He shrugged.

As Tyler neared the land of Newfoundland, he became increasingly worried. "I'm just afraid for what Pa will say when we get back."

"Don't worry about it, bud. We can deal with that when the time comes. We have to keep our minds focused on the plan ahead and save Josh."

"Yeah, guess you're right." He was still worried. Pa's voice when they had left still echoed in his head. It was a tone he had never heard before. He wasn't sure if it was an angry tone or a scared tone.

* * *

Tyler came to a stop at the docks in Newfoundland and docked himself with an anchor. Kenneth jumped onto the dock to get him refueled. Tyler looked at his Nav. system and deemed only a day and a half to get to New York, if they ran into no trouble and it was smooth water. Kenneth loaded on extra fuel jugs as Tyler took in the scenery. He wondered if he would see Dolly anywhere, the nice tug that helped them out last time when he had gotten beached. She must've been from here, because they had been close by Newfoundland at that point.

"Lookin' for someone?" Kenneth asked, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Uh, not really. Just hopin' Dolly might be here somewhere. She was really nice."

"Oh, that red tug huh? Maybe she is here." Kenneth fitted the last jug to Tyler and climbed aboard. "Ready? Maybe we'll pass her by. She was really nice, wasn't she?"

Tyler lifted his anchor and backed up from the dock. He began to follow his map and headed back out to open water when he heard a bell.

"Tyler! Is that really you?" A voice called and Tyler looked back. There was Dolly coming up behind him.

"Dolly!" Tyler grinned and turned around to greet her.

"What are you doin' back here? Weren't you headin' home?" She came to a stop in front of him.

"Yeah, but Kenneth and I ventured out again. We found my friend in New York and we're gonna rescue him!"

"That's wonderful! Amazin' a small little tug like you could come that far, good on you." She smiled and it made Tyler feel warm inside. "Well, I better help the other crew with a shipment. It was really good to see you again!"

"You too, take care!" Tyler smiled and they both parted. Chatting with her left a smile on Tyler's face all the way to New York.


	5. Chapter 5

"Kenneth, Kenneth! Wake up!" Tyler called and the pitty woke slowly. He was leaned up against the back of Tyler's cabin on his toolbox.

"What? What is it?" Kenneth asked groggily and yawned.

"We're in New York!"

Kenneth's eyes widened and he looked out over the ledge and sure enough, the bustling docks of New York harbor were right in front of them. "That's awesome, Tyler! Let's try and find Josh now. Let's see if any boat can lead us to him!"

Tyler floated up to each boat passing along and asked about Josh. Most of them had no idea who he was talking about but he came across a few that squealed in delight.

"You mean, the racer, Josh? You know him? The boy?" One boat asked.

"Uh, yeah. He's my friend. Have you seen where he's gone?" Tyler asked.

"Oh yeah, he's got a little port I think south of here a ways. But he doesn't let just anyone come visit him."

"Wait, we're talking about the right Josh, right?" Kenneth spoke up, traveling to Tyler's bow.

"The white yacht with black stripes?" Tyler questioned.

"Yeah! Are you sure _you_ guys know him?" The stranger laughed. "If you go south you should find him."

"O-okay, well, thank you!" Tyler said and turned south and headed down across the harbor.

"Tyler, something isn't right." Kenneth said. "Since when is Josh famous?"

"He's not. But if he's here, we gotta tell him to come home! Auntie Krista is worried about him." Tyler said. He inspected each boat that passed him and were docked to see if he could spot him. Kenneth had a bad feeling in his tank but looked for him as well.

"Tyler? Is that really you?" A voice called and Tyler spun at his name. Sure enough, the familiar small white yacht approached him with a smile.

"Josh!" Tyler exclaimed and rushed over. They exchanged a quick hug. "What are you still doing here?"

"My question is what are _you_ doing here?" Josh laughed. "C'mon, I wanna show you around." Tyler chugged after Josh happily and followed him down the harbor. Kenneth stayed quiet, not having much to say and still trying to figure things out.

Josh led them to a small dock canopy and a shed in front of it. It had Josh's name printed on the covers and a stripe design going across. Tyler glanced up at it before going underneath and following Josh into the shed. It was warmly lit inside and quite roomy despite the outside, and had a few medals and trophies on shelves. Tyler glanced in awe at everything inside. "Whoa, what are these for?"

"Oh, they're just, trophies I won at races." Josh stated. "Cool huh?"

"Races?" Tyler began to go back to reality now. "What races?"

"Boat races of course! Don't you know how famous I am? The world's youngest and fastest boat?" Josh grinned and pointed his bow to a picture of him sailing across the finish line in a race. "I don't think there was much competition for me though. I go up against some really fast boats, in a minor league that is, but I'm doing pretty well."

"Wait, doing pretty well?" Tyler repeated. "What about back home?"

"What do you mean, back home?"

"Auntie Krista has been really worried about you since you left. Ken and I tried searching for you once before until Conner spotted you."

"I left that place behind me, it was so boring." Josh rolled his eyes which almost made Tyler back up a bit and Kenneth frown. "I've got new boats here that care for me."

"Do they not know about your family back home?" Kenneth asked, a little anger rising in his voice.

"Family? What family? No, I never told them about Krista. I pretty much said I was homeless and once they saw how fast I could go, they took me in. It's like I'm a different boat now." He looked up and smiled at the photograph.

"But, we came all this way to find you and bring you back!" Tyler said and a bigger yacht came up beside Tyler which caused him to quickly scoot over.

"Josh, who are they?" She asked. "Bring you back where?"

"Oh, nothing, mum. Just old friends who were going." Josh replied.

"Excuse me?" Kenneth snapped.

"I don't know about any Krista you're talkin' about, must be another boat." Josh said. "I've never heard anything about a Krista."

"Well, hurry it along, dinner is soon ready." The boat said and backed up from the shed.

"Alright, mum!" Josh called.

"Josh, how, we came all this way.." Tyler stuttered. He was lost for words. "To bring you back home! We thought you were lost."

"We didn't come all the way here just to be told to go back home by the boat we were tracking down." Kenneth said.

"I wasn't lost, I knew what I was doing. And I never asked you to come find me. So, you can just run along home. It was nice seein' you though!" He moved forwards and began to slowly push Tyler out of the shed.

"W-wait, I-" Tyler could even finish his thought before Josh had closed the shed door.

Kenneth was speechless. "Did, did he just, ditch Krista for a different boat?"

Tyler didn't answer, he was on the brink of tears. He just slowly backed up from the canopy and turned around to leave.

"Tyler, hey, don't take this so hard." Kenenth said, seeing how clearly and understandably upset the tug was. "He was, kinda rude to you. You guys have been friends for so long! He can't just kick you out like that."

"But he can, and did." Tyler whimpered. "I just, I just wanna leave." Kenneth decided not to fight it, hearing the tug's voice. He just hoped Pa wouldn't give him a hard time.

"I just lost my best friend, Kenneth. I have you, but, why do I feel so lost?" Tyler muttered. His mind was distracted and he wasn't even sure which way they had come from. "Why did he chose fame instead of us?"

"I don't know, Ty. I don't know." Kenneth sighed, and gave the tug's cabin a hug. "Sometimes, it's best to let the toxic friends go. If they hurt you like this, they don't deserve you. You're better off without."

"Toxic?"

"Yeah. Like, how mean he was towards you. It could be verbal, or physical. Somethings that, a real, friend would never do. Like me." He smiled a little. "I would never kick you out, Tyler. Keeping friends like that only worsens yourself, never keep someone like that by your side."


	6. Chapter 6

Tyler thought about what he said and sighed. He sailed out of the harbor and prepared for the trip back to Newfoundland. He had plenty of fuel in which he didn't need to refuel there. His nav. pointed him in the direction to go. His bow pointed up out to sea, but his gaze pointed down to his winch.

"Tyler!" The familiar, gruff voice snapped the tug from his thoughts and he whirled around. Pa was coming towards him, angry as could be.

"P-Pa?" Tyler seemed to cower into the water and Kenneth kept by his side.

"We are going home right now." Pa growled. "I can't believe you left again like that after I told you not to!"

"I'm sorry, I-I had to find Josh. But, he didn't want to come back with me.." Tyler looked down, feeling his tears threatening to come back.

"I told you to leave this business with the officials." Pa frowned. "You are just a kid. You have no business traveling across the world with just a pitty on board!"

"Hey, but he did it." Kenneth spoke up in an attempt to stand up for the tug. "We beat a water tornado, we almost ran out of fuel, we traveled thousands of miles and it was all because of him."

"You got caught in a _storm_?" Pa raised his voice and Tyler winced at his voice.

"Y-yeah, but, we got out of it."

"Just because you 'got out of it' does not make me any happier. You still disobeyed me. What would've happened if you didn't get out of it? What then, Tyler? What would've happened?"

Tyler didn't want to answer, even though he knew the answer.

"You would've sunk, right to the bottom."

"Hey, go easy on him, huh? He just lost his best friend to some stupid racing fame!" Kenneth said.

"Do you think I really care about that?" Pa snapped. "I care about my son not dying over the damn ocean! We are going home, right now." He pivoted around and headed out to open sea. Tyler followed quickly, his emotion bubbling over to tears, but he tried to blink them away. Kenneth tried to give him comfort, but there was nothing much for him to do as he followed his dad home.

* * *

Tyler followed silently and kept up with Pa best he could through his blurry vision. Kenneth tried to comfort Tyler best her could, but nothing really worked.

"We're gonna stop at Newfoundland to refuel. You need to refuel at all?" Pa spoke abruptly, and Tyler hardly even caught what he said and paused.

"Yeah, he'll need to." Kenneth said for Tyler. Tyler glanced at him but then moved his gaze back to the water bubbling up behind Pa.

"Want me to talk to him?" Kenneth asked gently. Tyler didn't even know, so he didn't respond. "C'mon, lift me up, I'll chat with him, okay?" Tyler hesitated before speeding up a little and lifted his deck up to Pa's level so he could switch boats. Pa glanced back to Kenneth but switched his gaze back to the ocean.

"Hey, can we talk a little?" Kenneth asked gently.

"What's there to talk about?" Pa asked bluntly.

"Well, I mean, Tyler's kinda havin' a rough time right now and-"

"Rough time?" Pa flicked his gaze at Kenneth. "You're talkin' about this bein' a rough time? What about me, the tug you two left behind? Did you know I had to push and tug six shipments over the span you were gone?" He asked, making Kenneth pause. "Six shipments enterin' and leavin' is a lot for one tugboat!"

"Okay, yeah, I apologize for that. I forgot this week was gonna be the busiest one this month. That's on us. I'm not saying Tyler's problem is bigger, but I mean, you know Josh was the only one Tyler had to relate to. Now he has no one."

"He's got you, don't he?"

"Yeah, but, I'm not a boat. I can't do the things he can. I can't race around the harbor like he an' Josh used to do, I can only ride. I mean, the kid wants to cry right now, but, he's so tired and confused he can't, I can just tell. Can you tell?"

Pa looked at Kenneth then back at Tyler, who was still silently following and staring down at the water sadly.

"I'm just tryna say you should give him a break. I've honestly never seen him this sad where he doesn't even want to talk. But, I'll try to talk with him more." Kenneth hesitated to see if Pa had anything more to say and when he was silent, he moved back to jump back aboard Tyler. He didn't talk to Tyler though, he just leaned up against his cabin and tried to be in some way comforting to him.

* * *

Pa pulled up to the same Newfoundland docks Tyler and Kenneth had previously entered before to refuel. Kenneth jumped off of Tyler to refuel the jugs while Pa was refueled as well. Tyler had yet to say a single word, let alone even look at Pa. Pa was still a little cross to even talk to Tyler at that moment.

"Tyler! Yer back!" A voice called out and Tyler perked up a little, seeing the red tugboat again. Dolly.

"Hey, Dolly." Tyler smiled softly.

"Did you find your friend at all?" She asked then noticed Pa looking in her direction and froze. Pa glanced at her then away. It took a moment for Dolly to find her words again. "Uh, h-he was the white yacht, right?"

"Yeah." Tyler said slowly. "And yeah, we found him. He didn't care to come back with me though."

Dolly frowned. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear." She gave him a small comforting nuzzle which Tyler smiled a little at.

"Hey, you made him smile!" Kenneth chuckled a little making his way back to Tyler. Tyler smiled a little more. "I've been trying to get 'im to crack one this entire time."

"A little love goes a long way." Dolly smiled. "Who do you have here, Tyler?"

"Oh, he's my Pa." Tyler said. "He came to get me."

"Oh, that was nice." She could tell there was tension in the air when Pa didn't respond, nor look over.

"You ready to go?" Pa asked Tyler and with a nod from Kenneth, he nodded.

"Maybe I'll see you again, Dolly." Tyler smiled a little and followed Pa back out to the ocean.

"I know you will. If you ever wanna talk, my radio's always open!" Dolly called out and rang her bell farewell.


	7. Chapter 7

Tyler continued to mindlessly follow his father across the ocean back home. He barely talked, barely laughed, and didn't even tell any jokes. Kenneth was the one telling jokes to try to cheer Tyler up, but Tyler just couldn't laugh. He wanted to cry, but couldn't even bring himself to do that. He just wanted to hide away and disappear. What he really wanted though was some affection from Pa, but he knew Pa was too upset to give that. He wondered what Krista would say about her son abandoning home. She couldn't obviously go out and track her son down herself. She could even be seen as the crazy one, trying to convince someone to go home with her, when he already had seeming parents. It was just a horrible situation. He wasn't even sure if a birth certificate would do much. Tyler was only 10, he didn't know anything about that. He glanced up and saw the familiar opening of the fjord. He almost didn't even recognize it.

Pa led his way to the opening and Tyler kept near his stern, afraid of what the other boats would say. He didn't want to be seen by anyone, he just wanted to scoot under his canopy and keep in the corner. Once he moved in the open, Krista was the first to notice him, despite what Tyler wanted.

"Tyler! I'm so grateful you're home!" She smiled then frowned, seeing him once again alone.

Tyler didn't know how to explain, so he kept quiet. Kenneth quickly came to his rescue.

"I'm terribly sorry. We found him in New York, but it seems as if fame has gotten to his head and, well, abandoned you, to put it bluntly."

Krista's mouth gaped open. She was speechless.

"He said he lied about being homeless and another family took him in. He does this sort of child, racin' thing? Apparently pretty popular right now. I can help you with details if you need. I'm so sorry."

Tyler wasn't even listening. He just watched Pa float away and escape behind the corner of the docks. He only listened in when Kenneth said he had to check up on Tyler.

"Well, thank you, thank you dear, for trying. Thank you." Krista gave Tyler a comforting nuzzle before heading to the local sheriff for help. Tyler barely reacted to the nuzzle.

He backed up underneath his creaky canopy and Kenneth got to work, checking over his engine and anything he needed. Pa came in through Tyler's radio.

_"Kid, don't forget we got a shipment tomorrow mornin' at 8."_

This was enough to make Tyler cry. He wasn't sure why, but it triggered his tears and he took in a shaky breath and silently wept. Kenneth noticed immediately and came to his aid and gave him the best hug he could.

"It's okay, Ty. Just let it out. You have every right to cry, just let it out." Kenneth spoke gently. Tyler found his words comforting and he did just as he was told. He cried for the first time in a long time. He felt like the entire world crashed down on top of him and no one cared. It was rare for Pa to give any comfort or reassurance and that's exactly what Tyler needed. He ws too young to be left alone like this, Kenneth knew. He was somewhat angry at Pa for just ignoring Tyler like this when he obviously needed Pa the most. Even Dolly acted more of a parent than Pa did, and Dolly was just another tug from another town. He felt Tyler lower more into the water and sighed. He tried to drape his blanket over Tyler's deck for a little comfort and security, though it didn't seem to help. He stayed by Tyler's side until Tyler's crying put him to a much needed nap. Kenneth decided to check over his engine later and let the poor tug rest. Little did the pitty know, Pa was silently floating by the corner of the dock, watching solemnly.

* * *

"Psst, hey, Tyler." Tyler woke up slowly and gave a small yawn. It was dark out, and he looked up to see Pa in front of him, one of his overhead lamps being the only light illuminating them both.

"Pa?" He asked groggily.

"Come with me." Pa said gently and slowly turned around. Tyler slowly left his canopy and followed him through the cold water. He checked the time and saw that it was 11 at night, Tyler had slept all day long. He followed Pa towards the corner of the dock, where Pa had disappeared earlier. Tyler didn't even recall ever even going to this part of the dock, because it's where Pa usually escaped to. He didn't feel like he even belonged back there, but followed nonetheless. Pa led him into a huge, old worn down shed tucked away in the corner. Tyler didn't even think he ever saw before. He slowly entered the shed and was greeted by a bunch of old, dusty photos hanging on the wall of tugboats in what looked to be in his village. Some looked like firefighters, and one looked to resemble a young Pa. Pa stopped in the middle of the dimly lit shed and turned in his spot. He looked at Tyler with a sad look and Tyler was surprised he wasn't angry.

"Tyler, I'm sorry." He said softly. "I, I didn't mean to yell at you, like I did earlier. I was, just so stressed, and well, I had no right to be angry with you." He turned his gaze to the wall of the shed. "Do you know why I'm so protective of you?"

"Because, you love me?"

Pa gave a small smile which made Tyler feel a little more at ease. It wasn't often Pa smiled like that.

"Yeah, but not just that. Lemme back up a bit. Did you know I was once a firefighter?"


	8. Chapter 8

"A firefighter? Really?" Tyler perked up.

"Yep." Pa smiled softly. "I was a firefighter and a tug. Before the firetruck in town came around, I switched between jobs when I was needed. That's why I'm a bright red color verses any other boat here. Well, I used to be bright red." He chuckled a little which made Tyler smile.

"What made you quit?" Tyler asked and that question made him frown again.

"Well, that goes back to things you don't know about." Pa began and looked to the photos on the wall again. "Do ya know any of these boats?"

Tyler looked at the photos and studied them carefully. Most of them had who looked to be Pa, though he had many firefighting gadgets on him than he did now. He had two huge hoses sticking up over the back of his deck. Most of the boats he was in the picture with he didn't recognize.

"Here, look at this one." Pa pointed his bow to a photo near Tyler and Tyler looked at it. It was a photo of Pa with another tugboat next to him. She had Tyler's same colors, though they were a little brighter. Pa sighed at Tyler's silence. The tug _had_ just woken up after a long day after all.

"That's your ma." Pa answered for him. "That's your ma right there."

Tyler gasped and looked at the photo again. "Really? How, how come you haven't told me about her before? I thought it was just you and me."

"Ah, that's, that's just somethin' I couldn't bring myself to talk about. You were real young, and, I, I saw how happy and cheerful you were as a kid, I just couldn't see you upset." Tyler saw he was getting choked up and his anger of having his mom kept from him quickly diminished.

"What happened?" Tyler asked softly, hoping he could learn more about his ma.

"Well, that kinda leads into why I don't let ya out on the ocean by yourself." Pa said and looked to Tyler. "But, you deserve to know. I kept this from ya long enough. But, it's not really much of a long story. We were both headin' out of the fjord to head to Stornoway. She must have had a leak the other day because she began to sink and the more water she took in, the more she went under. I did all I could. I attached my winch to her and tried to keep her up until help arrived, but she was too much, and," He took in a shaky breath and Tyler wanted so desperately to comfort him. "If I had kept my line on her, I would've gone under too. By the time help came, it had been too late. I quit my firefightin' job because I didn't think I deserved the title after what happened. Among fightin' fires, they're supposed to rescue and help too. And, I didn't do that." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I promised myself I would always keep my family safe. promised her that I would always keep you safe and away from harm."

Tyler saw tears forming in Pa's eyes as he looked at the photo and he slowly floated forwards and gave Pa a gentle nuzzle. It had been so long since he had physically touched Pa that he wanted more and fully pressed his hull up against Pa's. It felt nice that Pa didn't hesitate to nuzzle back into him, finally releasing some of the bottled up emotion he had probably kept inside for so long. Tyler knew Pa was trying not to cry in front of him, but Tyler didn't care.

"I'm so sorry for yellin' at ya." Pa choked out. "I didn't want you to face the same situation your ma went through. I didn't wanna lose ya too. I shoulda been there for ya."

"It's okay. I'm just happy to be here." Tyler smiled a little and felt Pa nudge into him again. This is what Tyler wanted for so long, some affection. He felt warm inside despite the cold water on the outside. He knew his pa tried hard to keep Tyler safe.

"I'm sorry for leavin' you to go look for Josh."

"No, don't be sorry, Tyler. I shoulda been more understandin'. I know you don't have many friends, and I promise, in a few years, the both of us can travel and visit more places. I promise."

"Did I do the right thing?" Tyler asked softly. "By, letting Josh go? I keep thinkin' about him and Auntie Krista. She was so upset.."

"What you did was perfect." Pa smiled. "If he can't see how you traveled so far to help him, he don't deserve your friendship. Yer better off without negativity. The Tyler I know is always cheerful and happy. All you can do now is be there for Auntie Krista and hope that Josh kid gets what's comin' to him."

"I'm, just gonna miss 'im." Tyler looked down a little.

"If I were you, I wouldn't give that kid a second thought. All this will catch up to 'im, give it time. He'll get that bite in the rudder soon." Pa gave him a wink and Tyler smiled a little.

"So, what did ya think of Dolly?" Tyler asked, smiling even more. Josh had completely left his mind. Pa gave a laugh which made Tyler even happier inside.

"That tugboat in Newfoundland? I think she's a good friend to ya." Pa chuckled. "A long distance friend at least."

"Are ya sure we can't visit her again sometime?"

"Don't push yer luck." Pa shook his bow. "If she wants to visit, she's gotta come here."

Tyler smiled a little and looked down at the water and thought a moment. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" He really didn't want to go back to his canopy. The air was warm in the shed, and he really wanted to be near Pa.

"Of course ya can. I shoulda been sleepin' near ya more often anyways." He gave Tyler a smile and Tyler quickly zoomed to his side and pressed his hull into Pa's. It felt nice to be near him.

"Night, Pa." Tyler smiled, closing his eyes.

"G'night, Ty."


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, Tyler was still sound asleep cuddled up next to Pa. Pa had woken and nudged the tug awake.

"C'mon, let's get up to bring in that ship." He led the yawning tug from the shed.

Tyler felt so much better that morning. The whole situation of Josh was still on his mind, and he was still upset at how Josh acted, but he pushed the thought aside to focus on his job.

"Mornin', Ty!" Kenneth waved from the dock. "I was wonderin' where you went when I woke this morning."

"Mornin', Ken! I'll explain it all later." Tyler called back and followed Pa to the entrance of the fjord. Kenneth was definitely pleased to see the tug smiling again and was intrigued as to what he had to explain.

* * *

"Apparently Pa used to be a firefighter! I saw it all in his pictures. He also showed me pictures of Ma too!" Tyler had finished with the shipment and let Pa finish off with the ship at the docks. He came to explain everything to Kenneth. The excitement was too much for him to contain it all.

"Are you serious?" Kenneth asked. "A firefighter? Your Ma? Oh, you gotta tell me everythin'!"

"Yeah, apparently he quit cause of what happened to Ma. She had a leak and sunk out in the ocean, and Pa couldn't save her. That's why he doesn't want me out on the ocean when I'm this young."

"Okay, that makes sense. I thought he was just worried about us getting far too lost. I'm sorry 'bout your Ma though."

"It's okay, she looked just like me in the pictures." Tyler said. "She looked like she was really kind."

"Oh, hey, I gotta surprise for ya." Kenneth grinned.

"Really? What is it?"

"It may or may not be, a brand new radio!" He turned around and returned, holding up a brand new, shiny, black radio box.

"Awesome! Wait, what's wrong with my old one?"

"Well, I did some talkin' with Dolly 'fore I came to you with your fuel. She said the signal gets spotty sometimes over by her, so she gifted this to me to give to you. It's a stronger unit so you can talk easily! Hopefully this'll help you not feel so lonely whenever you do. She said she's up to chat with you whenever you need it."

"Awesome!" Tyler did a small bounce in the water. "Can you install it right away?"

"Of course. I ain't gonna make you wait for it." Kenneth chuckled and Tyler hurried under his canopy so Kenneth could climb aboard. He detached the connectors for the old box and set it aside to attach and twist the connectors for the new one onto the old wires.

"Alright, bud, test it out!" Kenneth finished heating up the wire coating and took the old box out of his cabin to use for parts or a back up.

"Okay." Tyler smiled and tuned into Dolly's channel that Ken had given him. "Hey, Dolly, it's Tyler. Do you read?" He spoke.

_"Tyler, hey! I read ya loud and clear. I'm guessin' Kenneth got te radio workin'?"_

Tyler's valves could have blown in excitement at that moment. "Yeah, he did! How are ya?"

_"I'm doin' good. I'm glad we're able to talk better now! I heard from Ken about your radio model and knew it wouldn't work, so I suggested tat one! I knew the other wouldn't have worked well. I'm so glad it works!"_

"I am too!" Tyler grinned and saw Pa cruising across the water towards them. Tyler pulled out from the canopy with Kenneth still onboard to tell him the news.

"Pa! Guess what?" Tyler grinned and stopped the red tug. "Dolly gave Kenneth a brand new radio so we could talk better at a distance!"

"That's great, Ty." Pa smiled. "She doin' good?"

"Yeah! I feel like I'm not alone anymore." Those words struck Tyler and he felt another pang of sadness run through him. The fact he still only had one good friend being Kenneth hit him like a cargo ship. Pa seemed to notice his short hesitation.

"Tell Dolly I said hi, will ya?" He smiled which got Tyler back to focus. "I was kinda silent when we were over there, I never did get to talk to her."

"You can tell me yourself, darlin'."

Tyler paused. He heard that both in his radio and in real life, like it rang out from his radio and behind him at the same time, creating a weird effect that seemed to bounce around. He looked up to see Pa's expression had changed, and he was staring behind Tyler, seemingly in a daze. Tyler turned around and he was face to face with Dolly.

"Hey, Ty." She grinned.


	10. Chapter 10

"Dolly!" Tyler grinned. He was _not_ expecting Dolly to be there.

"Hi, Tyler!" Dolly grinned. "Thought I'd stop by and give ya some company! Well, give ya both some company." She glanced up at Pa who blinked a little from her gaze.

"Uh, nice of ya to drop by, Dolly. Very, thoughtful of you for Tyler." Pa said. "He needs a friend."

"Oh, I didn't just come for him." Dolly smiled and glanced at Pa, who looked back at her.

Tyler was smart enough to see what was happening. "I think I'm gonna see how Auntie Krista is doin'." He turned around and quickly left.

"So, wanna show me around, ol' boy?" Dolly asked. "Such a cute, little place here!"

"Uh, sure." Pa turned around and Dolly followed him past Ken's shop.

"So, what can I call ya by? You got an actual name?" Dolly asked, catching Pa off guard.

"Name?"

"Well, yeah. I'm not callin' you Pa if that's what. Does everyone call you Pa?"

"Yeah. I just, haven't had anyone ask me before. It's Benjamin. It's hidden behind my tires."

"Okay, Ben. So, where's your place?"

* * *

"Auntie Krista! Did you find any info about Josh?" Tyler asked, sailing up to her.

"No, not yet. I haven't heard any word from the sheriff yet, but he's lookin' into it." She sighed a little. "How was he? Was he okay?"

"Yeah, he seemed fine." Tyler said. "Well, other than the fact he wanted nothing to do with us." He looked down at his deck slightly.

"Don't take it too hard, dear. It's all in his head. Hopefully someday he'll realize what he's done." She smiled a little. "In the meantime I'll try to get him back, don't you worry."

"I hope so. He needs to know who his real family is." He smiled. "Also, did you know Pa used to be a firefighter?"

"Oh, yes! I remember him in his hay day. He was quite the boat!" Krista laughed. "He had a big sprayer on his deck and he'd put out fires with it. He was the best around!"

"Wow, I wish I could've seen him." Tyler said in awe, glancing at the water.

"You did, but you were far too young. It wasn't long after you were born when he quit. You wouldn't've remembered though."

"When did Kenneth come? He didn't know Pa was a firefighter either."

"Oh, I think he came a few years later, you were old enough to pal around with Pa in the water. I think he got the mechanic job here and Pa asked him to take care of you too whenever he was busy."

"So that's why we're such good friends! He's known me since I was little." Tyler smiled.

"Yeah, he was like a second dad to you. Whenever Pa wasn't around, he'd take you in." Krista smiled.

"He still does too. I'm lucky to have him. He's the best." Tyler smiled fondly. "Thanks for telling me these stories. I had no idea! What happened to Pa's sprayer when he quit?"

"I don't know about that one. He just appeared without it, that's kinda when we all knew. You should ask him. Maybe he's still got it around." She smiled and Tyler nodded.

"Thanks for the chat! I'll be sure to ask him for ya." Tyler turned around and headed back to Kenneth.

"Did you know that Auntie Krista has seen Firefighter Pa?" Tyler asked Kenneth.

"Seriously? I wish I could've seen him." Ken said.

"She said he was really good at the job, but after Ma, he appeared without it and quit then. I'm gonna ask if he still has his sprayer."

"That'd be neat to see, Ty." Kenneth grinned. "What do you think about Dolly? I think she's got the hots for him."

"The hots?"

"Yeah, meaning I think she likes him." Kenneth laughed. "This'll be interesting with Pa."

"Huh.." Tyler thought a moment and glanced over at Dolly and Pa who were coming around the bend and chatting. He seemed happy, which made Tyler happy. It's been a long time since he's heard Pa laugh. He didn't mind any of it though. He never knew his Ma, so it didn't really mean much. All he's ever known and grown to love was Pa. He would've loved to meet her though. She seemed so special.

"I think he's finally opening up a little, Ty." Kenneth smiled, giving the tug's hull a little nudge. "It's good to see the guy happy, eh?"

"Yeah, it is." Tyler smiled.

"Hey, Tyler." Dolly smiled. "Your home is really nice, and so is Ben here." She smiled.

"Ben?" Kenneth blurted out and Pa gave him a look.

"Don't go mouthin' to every one you see." Pa snapped. "The last thing I want is attention from the entire town."

Tyler only smiled. "I won't tell anyone. You'll always be Pa to me." He scooted towards him to give him a nuzzle.

"I'd hope so." Pa laughed.

"So, Pa, do you still have your sprayer?" Tyler spoke up, catching the older off guard.

"Uh, my sprayer?"

"Yeah, your firefighter sprayer. I wanted to see it."

"Uh, yeah, I still got it." Pa smiled a little. "I can show ya."

"Awesome!" Tyler grinned.

"Well, it's gettin' quite late. Mind if I stay here the night?" Dolly asked.

"Oh, no, not at all." Pa smiled. "You can sleep with us for the night."

"Great. I hate to intrude but sailing at night is not safe." Dolly said.

"Tell me about it." Tyler laughed and followed his dad and Dolly back to the shed to go to sleep.

* * *

Well, here's the last chapter. I might be combining this story with the first, just because I think it'd fit better that way. I hope the read was enjoyable, and leave a review!


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